An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit configured to form an image with a decolorable material, a second image forming unit configured to form an image with a non-decolorable material, an RFID processor configured to write data in an RFID tag, a memory unit for storing a table indicating one or more attributes associated with the decolorable material and one or more attributes associated with the non-decolorable material, and a controller configured to control the first image forming unit to carry out image forming on a medium including the RFID tag for information of which attribute is associated with the decolorable material in the table, and control the second image forming unit to carry out image forming on the medium for information of which attribute is associated with the non-decolorable material in the table.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for a system including: a printer configured and arranged to form a symbol on a surface of a material using hot melt ink; a laser processing subsystem including a laser and an optical assembly; and electronics communicatively coupled with the printer and the laser processing subsystem, the electronics being configured to generate a laser beam from the laser and convey the laser beam, using the optical assembly, onto at least the hot melt ink of the symbol, thereby increasing rub resistance of the hot melt ink on the surface of the material.

A method for generating optically machine readable code is provided. The method includes capturing an image with a user device, automatically generating, by the user device, an optically machine readable code comprising information about the image recorded during the capturing of the image, and associating the optically machine readable code and the image. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs and an apparatus are also provided.

A method for generating optically machine readable code is provided. The method includes capturing an image with a user device, automatically generating, by the user device, an optically machine readable code comprising information about the image recorded during the capturing of the image, and associating the optically machine readable code and the image. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs and an apparatus are also provided.

The present invention relates to a micromachining method for patterning a material. The pattern is made up of a plurality of points. Said method includes the following steps: -emitting a spatially and temporally coherent pulsed light beam; -dynamically shaping said spatially and temporally coherent pulsed light beam in a modulation plane of a dynamic optical modulation device by applying at least one phase modulation so as to shape said light beam in accordance with the plurality of points forming the pattern; and -focusing the thus-shaped light beam, by means of a focusing device, on one surface of said material placed within a working plane in a Fourier configuration relative to the modulation plane. In said method, patterning the material is carried out with a pulse train containing a finite number of pulses of said light beam that is strictly less than the number of points forming the pattern, and emission of the light beam is controlled so that each pulse has a predetermined pulse duration between 10 ps and 100 ns. The invention also relates to a micromachining system for implementing said method and to a method for using said system.

An automatic desktop personalization device, for security booklet documents, includes a camera, an inkjet printing module, a laser marking module, a chip encoding module, and a transport mechanism. The inkjet printing module includes a printing head and is configured to print within a printing zone. The laser marking module is configured to mark within a marking zone. The transport mechanism is configured to automatically transport a security booklet document along a Y-axis linear direction, from an entrance to an exit, through printing positions and a marking position. The entrance and the exit are the same. The printing head is movable alongside an X-axis linear direction that is perpendicular to the Y-axis linear direction. The inkjet printing module includes the transport mechanism. The laser marking head is adjacent an inkjet printing bridge, such that the marking zone and the printing zone are at least partly combined.

A connector and labeling forming method thereof is provided. The method includes: a laser engraving device generating a laser beam, and controlling the laser beam to engrave a label on a labeling part of a metal shell of a connector. The connector includes a metal shell and a label. The metal shell has a labeling part and the label is engraved on the labeling part by a laser beam. As such, the invention can engrave the label on the labeling part of the metal shell of the connector by using the laser engraving technology to replace the traditional self-adhesive label, thereby being able to solve all the problems caused by the self-adhesive label.

An image label is used to present a barcode and characters and images. The label is printed label with a pre-determined color among various colors such that the characters and images resist subsequent erasure due to friction or chemical materials, etc. A laser beam is projected onto a surface of the barcode. A loss layer is used to form an image in response to the projection of the laser beam. A loss sheet includes a transparent sheet that is placed on the loss layer. A dark sheet is attached at the lower part of the loss sheet, and includes a color ink layer that expresses a pre-determined color among various colors and is attached to the upper part of the loss layer. The color ink layer which has the pre-determined color among the various colors is furnished at the upper part of the transparent sheet.

An optical information code reading method, including reading an optical information code image by an optical information code scanner immediately after the optical information code image has been recorded onto an information recording medium, wherein the optical information code scanner includes an amplitude tuning unit configured to correct a detected amplitude level of reflectivity from the information recording medium on which the optical information code image has been recorded and to store the corrected detected amplitude level, and wherein the optical information code scanner reads the optical information code image in a state in which the optical information code scanner has read the information recording medium on which the optical information code image has been recorded, and the amplitude tuning unit has determined and stored a detected amplitude level optimum for reading.

A surface is laser-etched to convey a 2D machine-readable code pattern. Various strategies are detailed to minimize the etching time. Some strategies include modifying the code pattern to reduce a path length traveled by the laser. Some strategies include modifying the code pattern to make it sub-optimal, i.e., making the code pattern a less-faithful approximation of an ideal code pattern. In some embodiments the etched surface is the surface of a plastic container, and the code pattern conveys information indicating the type of plastic of which the container is manufactured. A variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.